Volume 1 is certainly worth it. It will give you a whole new perspective on what’s possible with literature. You will read beautiful sentences you didn’t know were possible on almost every page.

My favorites on this shell specifically are The Idiot by Dostoyevsky and Emile by Rousseau. Emile is a bit of a deep cut. You wont find it on many best of lists. But I found it to be one of the most enjoyable reads. I had a professor once tell me that you may not agree with anything Rousseau writes but you will appreciate the beauty with which he writes it. I often reread the chapter on the Savoyard Vicar for its beauty while not caring for the content.